


Love is a bitch

by MilaBRM



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Rio trying and failing to figure Beth out, UST, trying to get inside their minds here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-06-21 13:52:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15559137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MilaBRM/pseuds/MilaBRM
Summary: Rio was the kind of man who had everything under control. That included his mind and body.He couldn't afford any kind of distraction. It could get him killed in his line of work.That is when he meets Elizabeth Boland.Then he learns that he has no control whatsoever.Every time he thought he had figured that woman out, she did something to prove him how wrong he was.He really didn't know what to do with her.----An attempt to get into Rio's head in episode 1x10 and while Beth is aiming his own gun at him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is just a little something I had in my head that I had to write it down.
> 
> Another contribution to this small fandom and a chance to stop thinking so much about these two.  
> lol.
> 
> *words in bold are Rio's thoughts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

> _"I'm tryin', I'm tryin' not to forget my words  
>  'Cause when I'm around you, I tend to keep changin' my mind"_

 

* * *

 

 

He’d always thought that he’d never let any woman distract him from his goals. That he wouldn’t be stupid enough to fall for a great pair of tits, pretty lips, longer than life legs and hypnotic eyes. 

If there was a lesson he had learned really well in his life was this one: Sex was one of the most powerful things in this world someone could use against somebody else. 

Money was next. It could buy almost everything you desired.

 

In his line of work, he’d seen many men in his position get tangled in a dangerous web by both: Money and Sex. They were all dead or in jail.

 

Not that he didn’t get it. He did. 

 

He had met beautiful women who, to survive in this dangerous business, knew how to use their bodies along with their sharp minds.

They were deadly and, most of the time, they succeed in getting what they wanted, what they needed to keeping fighting and living.

 

Rio didn’t risk any kind of relationship with them, but the sex was, hands down, the best he’d ever had in his life. They took what they wanted from him, but they also gave a lot in return.

 

He’d never forget about Veronica, a curvy, tall blonde he met in one of his dealings with one of his associates in Canada. She had been tough while negotiating the price for the material he needed to make more fake money. He had respected her by the way she showed him that she was the one in control there, that she was the boss.

She had left marks on his neck from her sharp teeth, long red painted nails marks on his back.  His cock still twitches when he thinks about the way she’d sucked his cock with lush lips, deep throating him like a pro. Her moans while sucking him long and slow filling his ears, her soft hands playing with his balls and then holding tight on the base of his cock to not let him cum, not before he was inside her.  
What could he say? Strong, clever and beautiful women were his kryptonite but he’d never let any of them get past his defenses. Like he said, life had taught him that the mind should be stronger than the flesh and he kept an iron control on the later.

  
It was a strange, fucked up kind of life he’d been living but it was a good one. He had everything under control.

 

Until _she_  came into his life.

 

With those enormous, fierce blue eyes. Those red, full lips, body full of curves and big delicious tits. That was exactly what a woman’s body should be like. 

None of that mattered though, when she opened her pretty mouth and called him an idiot for even thinking about killing her and her lady friends. 

 

There was fear but also a dangerous challenge in those eyes. 

 

That woman had fire in her veins, he could see it. It was dormant, waiting for something to wake it up so it could consume her completely.

 

She had caught his attention with her attitude and courage. He couldn’t deny that at that moment, he felt something like a thrill. He was not dealing with some stupid, weak housewife.  
When he thought he wouldn’t see her anymore, he’d found her pearls , reminding him of the day she came to ask him if he would let them go back to their normal lives. 

He couldn’t stop himself from caressing the pearls and taking them to his nose, so he could find any trace of her perfume there. 

 

He was not disappointed.

 

It was something fresh and clean. It reminded him of the rain and the smell of some white flowers his mama used to have in their home, once upon a time. A long time ago.

 

Soft and classy just like her.

 

The way that woman acted when he came to ask what she wanted from him, like she was not afraid of him anymore, like they were on the same ground there, as if they were equals...Oh, that white suburban mom didn’t know shit about what she was getting into.

 

She was getting addicted to the rush of adrenaline that came with the risk of being caught, but also to the freedom that only money could give someone. He doubted she was ready to pay the price for it, though.

It was always a high and unfair one.

Every time that she reminded him she had a family, children, he wanted to tell her to just fuck off, go back to her boring but safer life with her four children and idiotic husband. 

She was not strong enough for this. 

 

That was what he had thought in the darkness of his room but, as always, she’d prove him wrong.

 

Twice she had failed him but in the end, she had found a way to pay him right back, after all.

 

“ _I thought we were past this._ ”

  
It was the first time he had actually touched her.  He felt her tremble under his hand.  The skin of her neck soft and cold.  Her heartbeat fast under the tips of his fingers.  He was trying to keep his defenses up and strong around this woman. He always made a point to get close enough to intimidate her somehow, but he was careful to never touch an inch of that white skin again.

 

If he did that, it’d be enough to ruin him. He was sure of it.

 

However, when he thought about the times she’d surprised him with a job well done, or when she'd fought him right back, throwing the same cruel, mean words he had used against her on his face, he felt an odd mix of pride and desire filling his senses up. It was like getting drunk and losing focus of what was around you, except that he could always keep his on her, only her.

He wanted to grab her by the neck again, pull that soft, perfect body close to his, taste those fucking sexy lips, claim them until all she could taste was him.  He wanted to nip, lick and suck every part of that alabaster skin, so white that he knew the marks he’d leave would stay for days.  He wanted to make her scream his name, his face in between those huge tits, those long legs wrapped around his waist, holding him tight, her body taking him deeper inside her.

 

He was fucked. He didn’t want that. He didn’t need it.

 

Rio didn’t need Elizabeth Boland.

 

She didn’t belong in his world.  Deep inside, she was still just a mom trying to take care of her children.  
  
His last test to her and her friends proved that to him.

 

She had screamed at him, furious, hurt, afraid. 

 

The keys didn’t hurt that much when she’d thrown them on his face. The fact that she thought he was a fucking cold killer did. He had blood on his hands, yeah. There was no other way in this business.

Sometimes you had to kill or be killed but he had never enjoyed doing so. Even the ones that deserved death, killing them had made him feel sick, dirty afterwards.

“ _Elizabeth._ _Go home_. ”

 

Elizabeth.

 

Her name on his tongue felt like an omen. He didn’t want to found out if it was a bad or good one.

He should have known better.

When the cops came and handcuffed him, somehow, he knew this was Elizabeth’s doing.

He got all the confirmation he needed when one of the cops told him how they were able to get their hands on him.

He needed to teach her another lesson, it seemed.  
  
That woman was even more dangerous than he’d thought.  It was his fault. He hadn’t given her enough credit.  

 

He’d made a fatal mistake.

 

She had gotten under his skin. That woman had found a way to get past his fucking defenses.

 

How? He didn’t really know.

 

Now they were both here, in some kind of weird limbo.

She has his gun aimed at him. Tears drying slowly on her pale face. Eyes hard and unforgiving.

The silence in the room was almost deafening. He could hear her pathetic excuse for a husband breathing right beside him. The stupid bastard.

He kept his eyes on her.

 

**_That is it, sweetheart.  Do it.  Let’s see what you’re really made of._ **

 

A sound like a click reached his ears.  
  
He smiled.  Wild and wicked.

 

**_Checkmate._ **

  
  
 It looked like he was gonna get himself something he, in fact, thought he didn’t need.

 

A queen.


	2. Shoot love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She watched Rio's little smirk turn into a wild, wicked smile.  
> Beth despised it.  
> She hated that it made small shivers run down her body from the hand holding the gun to her feet.  
> It seemed she’d get her wish.  
> Elizabeth would enter his kingdom again and this time, she’d show Rio she could live in it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, but I felt like I needed to add Beth's point of view in this so, here we are. No more chapters.  
> Enjoy, guys ;)

She remembers the first time she met him.

He and his boys in her kitchen, standing there like they owned the place.  
The way he’d looked at her, talked to her like she was a stupid suburban mom who dared to steal his money, for God only knows why.   
  
They didn't have any idea of how their lives would be tied to his, back then.  
  
Life really had a peculiar sense of humor.  
Maybe life was just a sardonic bitch.  
  
Elizabeth Boland just wanted to deal with her husband's mess and not let her children without a roof over their heads and food in their bellies.  
  
God, she really hated Dean for doing that to her and her kids. Their kids. She remembered the good times they both had as parents, as wife and husband. All those family trips; the soccer games they went together supporting the boys; ballet for the girls. How supportive Dean was while she was giving birth to their children, his warm hands holding hers, the sweet words whispered just for her to listen. All those happy promises.  
  
Her husband was a fucking sick liar. Not to mention a cheating worm.  
He thought she was a fragile, stupid housewife. Oh, how wrong he was.  
She was strong enough to take care of four children and home alone, while he was working all day and fucking his dumb childish secretary.  
  
No man would look down at her again.

 

Not even a gangster.

 

Then she’d called him an idiot because, really, he was.  Killing someone was one hell of a mess to deal with.

Not that she knew, but they were good, ordinary people.  If one bad thing happens to people like to them, the whole world notices.  
  
She could see in his dark eyes that she had his attention.  

Good.

He may be the one with all the power there, but that still was her damn house.  She had done something she'd never thought she'd do to keep it that way.  So, if he thought she'd keep her mouth shut, he was deadly wrong. Call her crazy but when the words left her lips, she could swear the corners of his full lips twitched in a small smile. Maybe he was undoubtedly having fun at their expense, but it didn't look like it.

  
It could be wishful thinking but maybe she had surprised him at that moment?

 

When he left, she felt like the worlds' weight had left her shoulders. She could breathe again. Tears fell down her face.  
She looked at the girls. They were hugging each other, laughing and crying at the same time.  
Her sister came to her side and hugged her tight.

  
"You were such a badass, Beth. But, God, just don't do that again. You scared the hell out of me."  
  
  
"Yeah, girl. I was impressed but also ready to see you die." - Ruby's hands were on her shoulders. She smiled at her, one arm holding her sister's waist, the other around Ruby's neck while the woman stood behind her.

 

"I'm sorry, I just didn't want him thinking that we'd let him kill us like we were nothing."

  
  
They were not.  They were strong and now, free.

  
  
However, when she felt like nothing would go wrong anymore, after all the things they had done to give that gang’s money back, there he was.  
  
Teaching her kid math, of all things.  Beth felt like she’d fallen into another dimension. Fear and apprehension made her heartbeat go crazy inside her chest.  That man was dangerous and he was back, so close to her son, looking like a responsible adult, with that shirt buttoned up ‘til his neck.  
  
She felt his eyes on her while she watched her son go inside.  It was not a pleasant feeling, because she knew they still owed him money.  
  
When he talked to her, his voice sounded soft and low, his eyes down and posture relaxed, hands in his jeans’ pockets.

He probably looked like a shy, young man asking for a favor to his neighbor to an outsider.

 

Good lord.

  
  
“ _Do you ladies have passports?_ ”

 

Yeah, she was right.  He wanted something and since they had a debt to pay, they needed to do it, whatever it was that he wanted them to do. His comment about them being just basic bitches made her blood boil under her skin.  She’d show him that they were not stupid bitches.  No matter the mistakes that they had made.  
In the end, they were successful in their little trip to Canada.  Even if with some casualties, like a shoot in Mike’s feet, they were able to bring what that man wanted.  
Call her crazy but she had never felt so happy with herself and the girls.  They did it.  She felt a rush of excitement run through her body and all she could think about was to celebrate with her girls.  After years of taking care of a home, living a boring routine, her only goal in life was to see her kids all grown up, leading good lives.    


Beth had forgotten what it felt like when you achieved something you thought impossible to achieve.  To put all your energy into something because you knew you could do it, you were smart enough to.  Her easy and comfortable life didn’t allow her to live for herself, even for a little bit. Those were egoistical thoughts but most women who were also mothers, often forget that they have their own lives too.  That they need to take care of themselves or they’d drive themselves crazy.    


Anyway, that didn’t mean that she’d wanted that special kind of adrenaline in her life.  Not one that was the result of criminal activity.  
Now, she’d make sure that he’d leave them alone because they were even now.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

  
  
The amount of money they saw in that place was mind-blowing.  
  
  
So much money. People walking around everywhere and there he was, at the center of the operation, ordering people around, talking to a man about some deal with money. It was the first time that Beth saw who that man really was. Not a common criminal, some idiot who only knew violence and how to shoot a gun whenever he felt like it. That man was running a huge business with confidence and tight control.  
  
  
She talked to him again, asking if he or his men would stop his “visits” to her house to threaten her or the girls, now that they were even.  
  
He kept giving orders.

 She looked back at Ruby and Annie, their worried faces giving her the strength she needed to ask him again, with a louder and stronger tone in her voice.

  
_“No, I need you to say it”_

  
  
She held her breath for a moment, then he stopped and turned around and Beth tried to not squirm under his undivided attention.  It was really unsettling, the way that man made her feel.  Her skin prickled, the small hairs on her arms stood up, her throat dry.  She wondered if that’s how some animals felt when they’re being hunted.  
  
Shoulders held back, head tilted to the side, his eyes didn’t leave hers when he told her:

  
  
_“We’re good.”_

  
  
Oh, how they had celebrated as if they had won the lottery.

 

  
  
Somehow, there was a small buzz inside her head that didn’t leave her alone.  She was happy, yeah, but her mind kept coming back to that feeling of achievement she’d felt when they were back from Canada.  
  
When she got back home and had to listen to Dean talking about all the reasons they should live together again, Beth knew she couldn’t keep living like that.  She didn’t love Dean anymore.  His lame excuses and horrible attempt to win her over showed her that she had to find a way to care for herself and her kids.  
  
She came back to the warehouse. She needed to talk to him again.  Elizabeth Boland refused to rely on her lousy soon to be ex-husband again.  
  
The place was empty, so She left her pearls.  He’d come to her;  Beth knew it because if he had come to her house once to ask if they could go to Canada, he must know they can be useful to him.  
  
He didn’t disappoint. Taking a sip of her bourbon to calm her poor nerves down, while trying to keep her face void of any emotion, Beth looked at him under her long eyelashes.

 

Easier said than done, with the way he was watching her closely, hooded eyes not hiding how intrigued he was by her actions.  What could a housewife possibly want with a man like him, anyway?  
  
Beth felt on edge, hands sweating cold, lips too dry, but she kept her eyes locked on his.  He needed to see she was not fooling around there.  It was her only chance.  
  
  
_“You know the tradition is jordans over a phone, right?”_

  
  
Again, his voice reached her ears in a low rumble.  It felt like a lover’s caress, seductive in a way that confused her.  She wouldn’t allow this man to play with her feelings.  No way in hell.  
  
Two could play that game.  She held her head high, not letting him see how affected she was with his presence there in her kitchen.

  
  
_“I only had pumps.”_

  
  
_“Fair enough.”_

  
  
Under the soft light of her kitchen, he looked approachable, not a businessman with too much power on his hands…  Beth took advantage of that.  
  
They had a deal now.  
  
Well, they almost did, because when that kid appeared on her daughter’s bed, she told him that was NOT what she had in mind when she’d talked to him.

  
  
_“I don’t give a damn if you try.  You gotta win, bitch. ”_

  
  
She would be lying if she said that that word didn’t sting a little.  He had waved guns at her face, and threatened her but never called her names.  Well, maybe she shouldn’t be so surprised.  Rio -  she finally knew how people called him - , was a man who dealt with criminals on a regular basis.  He probably could call her worse and honestly, Beth had more things to dwell on about than that.  
  
Later, when Ruby, Annie and Herself proposed a way to wash money for him, she threw that word back at his face.  It was her way to tell him that she wouldn’t tolerate that kind of behavior from him.  She was afraid of him most of the times, yeah, but she wouldn’t let fear dictate her way of living again.  
  
Annie and Ruby had looked at her as if she had lost her mind.  
Well, she didn’t.  
  
Beth was in control of her life and no one would take that away from her.  
  
Rio didn’t do anything.  Maybe he was starting trusting her, to believe that Beth could do it.  
  
And they kept working for him, laundering fake money for him, even when at first she had freaked out when agent Turner came to her house.

  
  
_“What are you doing with someone like me?”_

 

That had been a tricky question, with the intense look he gave her.  It was the first time she had felt _it_.  Elizabeth wasn’t strange to desire, to what it felt like when someone wanted you.  She just didn’t want to believe it.  That was the problem when she remembers that day in her car.  
  
Why would he want or even desire her?  A white housewife with four kids and a not trustworthy husband?  
Although she’d been lying if she said that she didn’t think about it.  That was how she came up with the story she told agent Turner.

God, how she hates herself right now.  
  
Because even when he pointed a gun at her, even when he was giving her lessons and telling her to keep her house in order or she wouldn’t ever be a boss or calling her a bitch, he also showed her another side of him.  In the end, she'd trusted this side of him.  
  
The one where he asked her to trust him when he paid her and the girls or tried to not smile at her every time she managed to surprise him with her attitude and bravery or the one he showed her when he helped her son with his homework, and gave her advice about rotten eggs.  
  
All that didn’t matter in the end.  Beth had made a terrible mistake when she thought she was starting to know how this man’s mind worked.

  
_“ You think I need you?”_

  
  
No. He clearly didn’t.  She knew he had many people working for him, after all.

 

 _“_ _You ain’t nothing but a damn charity case to me”_

 

That was the worst part to hear.  A damn charity case.  Someone who needed help because you’re too pathetic and helpless to deal with things yourself.

 

_What me and you had is done.  Over. ”_

  
  
So easy.  

  
  
Eight little words that crashed her world down, leaving her breathless and desperate.

 

Beth wanted to scream. To hurt him more than those keys on his face did.  For the first time since she'd met him, he made her feel less than she was.    
  
He made her feel weak and worthless.  

  
  
Why was he hurting her like that?  He cut her deep and now she was bleeding.

 

_Oh Rio, you’ll regret it._

 

* * *

 

 

She came up with a plan to teach him a lesson of her own.  He had been her teacher for a while when she was starting to navigate through his world.  Now she’d be his.

  
Beth decided to do what she did because of her kids and also for herself.  She was not naive enough to believe the world was black and white only.  The world was not a fair place, why should she be?

  
Rio had his reasons to do what he did, but Beth needed him to understand she could visit his world from time to time.

 

 She was not fragile. Not a charity case.

  
  
When she found out about her husband’s lie she swore to herself that she wouldn’t let any man make her feel like a stupid, weak housewife again.  
  
She was stronger than that.

  
  
_“Hey honey, we’re home”_

 

As she said, life had a wicked sense of humor and was probably trying to test her as well.

 

 _“_ _You wanna be the king, you gotta kill the king.  This stuff is medieval, darling. ”_

 

Yes, it was.  Thing is, she didn’t wanna be the king.  She just wanted to live in his kingdom again.  If she played her cards right, she could get her wish.  The risks were too high though, and maybe she’d pushed him too far that he’d finally found a reason to kill her, at least.  
  
But then he gave her his gun, and she felt that particular fear leave her body.

  
  
_“You got what it takes?”_

  
  
Of fucking course, he would find a way to change this weird game between them.  
  
Standing there, with his gun on her hand, Elizabeth felt like walking on a minefield with Rio.  One step in the wrong place would kill her, only leaving pieces of herself on the ground.  
  
Dean gave a little nod in her direction, probably thinking he was encouraging her to shoot Rio.  It made her angrier with him because he had no idea who that man was.  Moreover, she would not accept anything from him anymore.  Not even encouragement.  
  
There was always a choice, and it was time to make hers.  
  
Pulling the trigger was not easy, but she managed.  
  
A soft click broke the silence in the room.  
  
She watched Rio's little smirk turn into a wild, wicked smile.

 

Beth despised it. 

 

She hated that it made small shivers run down her body from the hand holding the gun, all the way down to her feet.   
  
It seemed she’d get her wish.  Elizabeth would enter his kingdom again and this time, she’d show Rio she could live in it.

  
  
She was not afraid of the darkness anymore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	3. New rush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His eyes' drop from hers to her lips, his hot gaze following the path she makes with the tip of her tongue as she leans her head back against his hold on her hair, stretching her neck and dropping her eyelids, looking at him through her long eyelashes.
> 
> Her body feels heavy and pliant, and adrenaline gives place to desire in her veins. The air between them feels charged with this weird but strong attraction they’ve been fighting since the first time they met.
> 
> The pain is gone for the moment and the way he whispers her name makes pleasure run through her whole body, from the tips of his fingers touching her chin, down to her lower belly.
> 
>  
> 
> “Elizabeth, what I jus’ told you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so after thinking about it, I finally decided to write 2 more chapters for this fic because one of you told me you'd like to see them getting together. So, after also thinking about how I could do that without writing another multiple chapter fic, I came up with a solution: write two more chapters showing how they finally crossed the line that kept them separated and how they got together in the end.
> 
> Or maybe I just wanted an excuse to write smut for the first time in my short experience as a fanfic writer >,<. I blame Beth and Rio and their crazy chemistry.
> 
> I hope this will make you happy, dear reader ;) u know who u are xp!
> 
> Thanks again for kudos and comments.
> 
> This is my gift for you all.  
> enjoy!

It took months for them to find some common ground.

Rio’s anger and distrust felt like a living and breathing entity between them.

Beth’s own hurt wasn’t something she could dismiss for days as well.

 

The girls noticed, obviously. They panicked after she had told them he had his freedom back and that they’d had to work double the hours to make up for the mess they’d caused for Rio’s business.

His associates didn’t feel safe with him anymore. Their little stunt had caused Rio lots and lots of money and the trust of his “business partners.”

He needed to gain their trust back. He killed one of his boys to keep the cops far away from his “investments”, for fuck’s sake. And Beth and the girls? They better keep their mouth shut and do as he said.

They were watched 24/7 by his goons, to the point where Annie became fast friends with Mr. Cisco. Even Ruby started to “take a liking” to one of his boys as well. Or so she had said.

Well, no surprise there. Annie was the social butterfly between the two of them.

Beth, on the other hand, was treated with coldness and watched very closely.

 

_“You think you’re the good guy here, don’t you, darling? Lemme tell you something: you’re not. You hide behind your family and tell this is all for your kids. But I see you. I see how you love the thrill, the adrenaline. I’ve seen it in other people’s face, believe me. You’re dangerous, Elizabeth. You’re evil. And I’m not gonna let you stab me on the back or try to bring me down again.”_

 

She would never forget those words.

 

He said them to her on that night, when she sealed her fate and bound it to his. The sound of Dean’s head hitting the table with force as her husband fainted and Rio’s chair falling to the floor as he stood up and walked straight to her, taking the gun from her fingers after she tried shooting and no bullets came out of it, still resonates inside her head after all those months.

 

After that night, Rio told her to clean her own mess and get her house in order.

 

She asked Dean for a divorce. He took three months to sign it. First, he tried manipulating her with tears and declarations of love, then the fights full of accusations took place. His last attempt to keep her by his side involved blackmailing her with everything he knew about her connection to Rio.

However, after she finally had enough, she told him to go ahead and do that to his children, who loved and depended on her. He gave up after that. Now, every time he takes the kids back to her, a new bimbo is there with him.

Mary Pat was another story. She and the girls were still trying to find a way to deal with her. The woman stopped asking for her 10 grand, but she still comes back for some money from time to time.

There was also Stan and the fact that he knew what they had done, but whatever Ruby did or said, it kept his mouth shut. It also cost Ruby her marriage. Stan wasn’t living with her anymore, but he still went home to have dinner with the children.

Ruby was trying to deal with her new life. It makes Beth feel sad and guilty, no matter how many times her friend says that it was not her fault.

Boomer, on the other hand,  was an enigma because according to Annie, he was civil at work and talked to her only the strictly necessary. Neither of them trusted him yet, so they're keeping their eyes wide open.

 

\---

 

Sometimes he asks them to go to Canada to get another “package” for him.

When they don't have to travel, his boys come to her house, where she and the girls are already waiting. They take them to some of the warehouses Rio owns around the city. They help with the money laundering there and come back home just in time for dinner.

It’s odd because Beth knows that most of the women there must have families too and still, they stay there working.

She tried to ask Rio about it one day, but he was categorical:

 

_“Not your business. Go back to work.”_

 

His words were short and cold.

It hurt. God, she hated that his actions and words affected her so deeply. It shouldn’t matter.

He is a criminal.

 

But he is also loyal and protective of his people. She saw that side of him after all these months working so close to his “employees.” How he always has a word of encouragement or a piece of advice to give to someone who didn’t feel confident enough to do something in that line of work.

She watches as Rio pats one of his guys on the back after a job well done, or shares a drink with them after a long day at work.

 

He is a walking contradiction.

Soft when he wanted to be, then hard again.

Aggressive as he shoves his gun at men who dare to defy him and then, acting so attentive with his people, congratulating them when they succeed on a task. He is a gentle guiding hand on your back, but also a cruel word on your face when you disappointed him.

There are times when she has glimpses of the old Rio. The one who looked at her with amusement and respect. The one who trusted her abilities and her sharp mind. The man who asked her to trust him, in an old abandoned park, with the cold wind biting on her skin.

Beth wonders if he misses her too. The old Beth who longed for a challenge, the one who sat with him on a meeting and wasn’t afraid of talking to him about a new business idea, or smiled softly at him after hearing to one of his compliments.

 

_“Do you think I need you?”_

 

Those damn words don’t leave her head, but it’s good because they remind her of her own foolishness. What did she expect after doing what she did to him? He certainly doesn’t miss her, or the way things were between them.

 

She was a charity case at first.

 

Now she is... what? What is she to him now that Beth proved that she could do him harm, that she was not stupid?

Elizabeth Boland - No, she is a Marks now—Elizabeth Marks is smart and brave (or crazy) enough to deal with men like him.

 

She would be lying if she said she didn’t like a challenge or working for him anymore. The money is good and helps her to pay for the best schools for her children, for ballet and soccer classes and for college, as part of it goes to a bank account for that goal.

 

It’s just that it feels like something is missing. He still talks to her rather than the girls when they’re on a meeting. He calls her darling and sweetheart or even baby, but not in that tone she was used to.

No, there is an edge do it.

It’s mean and bitter.

And she thinks about how much she wanted to tell him to go to hell.

 

Annie and Ruby give her worried looks and they try to distract her with movie nights and shopping. She evens go to bars with Annie and to her surprise, men ask for a dance and pay for a drink and she accepts it.

Oddly enough, Rio’s men are always right on the other side of the street, as if waiting for them to leave and follow her and Annie home.

When she goes to “work” the day after, Rio is always there watching her. His face devoid of any emotion. The perfect mask of indifference and yet, Beth can see the annoyance in his eyes.

 

_Didn’t someone have a nice night?_

 

Then he starts giving others to everyone and makes them work for hours.

Cisco comes to her side after a while and tells her:

 

“The boss wants you to check all women’s work after you’re done. See if the money is good enough to be redistributed and make a list of things that are still missing for that new business we’re opening.”

 

That makes her look at him and gasp. Thank God her kids were with Dean that week.

 

“But that will take all day, maybe all night as well! I have a soccer game to watch tomorrow morning. My son is playing!”

 

Cisco just shruggers.

 

“Boss’ orders. Don’t even think about talking to him. He is going to Canada today and he won’t be back until tomorrow night.”

 

He leaves her there, seething. When would that man finally stop punishing her for her mistakes? Did he really think he was innocent in all that? That he didn’t make mistakes and failed to deal with things between them better?

The girls want to stay and help her, but Cisco and one of Rio’s guys just order them to go or the boss wouldn’t be happy about it.

Beth tells them she’d be fine. For the record, she won’t.

 

\----

 

 

To her surprise, a young black woman with pink dreads comes by the warehouse at nine and brings her coffee from Starbucks and a warm soup from a restaurant she didn’t know but it smells absolutely delicious.

She thanked the girl and stopped everything to eat, her empty stomach grumbling. She puts her food on the small table at the corner of the small room where she’s working and drags a chair to sit.

Cisco is already sitting there, taking a bite of his sandwich.

“Rio did this? He paid for my food?”

He just observes her as he eats his sandwich,  his face impassive. After a few minutes, he answers her.

 

“Boss is not the fucking bastard you like to think he is, miss. Eat your food. I’ll take you home after you finish your work here.”

 

The food tasted of dirty in her mouth after that.

 

\--------------------------

 

In the end, she was free to go after midnight. When she got home, Beth couldn’t sleep much, a million thoughts running wide inside her head after everything that happened that day.

Her lack of sleep didn’t stop her from celebrating with her boy after Kenny’s team won the game, in the morning.

 

Then, things finally changed.

 

The point of no return for both of them.

 

To be honest, since that day in her kitchen when she saw him for the first time, Beth felt like their worlds would crash eventually.

As things progressed between them and her situation with Dean got worse, Beth didn’t think she’d have any other choice.

Deep inside, she knew she had one, but it wouldn’t be easy and she was so fucking tired.

Rio was not a prince in shining armor, but he took her away from her miserable life in a way.

His boys had even saved her life. That was how their lives became so entwined.

The bullet just grazed her arm, but it could have hit her somewhere else and then, she would be probably dead right now.

 

\-------------------

 

They had worked for long hours on a Saturday, in a warehouse outside of town, moving fake money to big boxes and then to two trucks parked outside the place.

Beth had an argument with Dean the other night, and she asked to stay there until everything was done. The girls went home again, and she stayed with three other women and Rio’s guys. He was out for the day but would come back to close the place.

Eventually, the women left, and it was just her, Cisco, Bullet and three other guys.

Cisco told her to go home, but she wanted to make sure that everything was ok. It would help her take her mind off things.

Dean related things.

She was organizing the boxes inside one of the trucks when she heard the sound of two motorcycles coming, followed by the boys screaming and shouting to each other to fucking shoot, the bastards found out where they were.

The noises of the bullets hitting the trucks and other places were so loud that she just covered her ears and tried to get down between the boxes and protect herself.

She prayed to God to not let her die there.

 

_Would Cisco be okay?_

 

Her brain didn’t register the pain, adrenaline making her mind think too fast, trying to find out what was going on out there.

The boys screamed again but this time it was in celebration.

Cisco opened the truck where she was hiding, calling for her:

 

“MISS? Are you alright, miss? Don’t worry, they’re all dead. Shit, answer me or Boss will have my head!”

 

It was the moment when she finally felt the pain in her right arm. The sleeve of her black jacket torn right above her elbow.

 

“I’m here, I need help. One of the bullets hit me, I think.”

 

“Fuckin’ shit, come on, let me take a look.”

 

She was in the back of the truck, and Cisco had to move a few boxes to get to her but when he did, he put an arm around her waist and helped her get on her feet and walk out of the truck.

They got inside the warehouse again and the other men stayed outside, protecting the place.

Cisco took her to a small room where they kept some medicine and a first aid kit and made her sat on a small table placed in the middle of it.

But before Cisco could do anything the sound of the door banging against the wall scared them both.

It was _him._

If she thought she had seen Rio angry before, she was wrong.

Deadly so.

 

“Get out.”

 

Cisco didn’t waste any time. He left without even looking at her, the traitor.

He was wearing a black coat over a dark red buttoned up shirt and black jeans.

A man covered in dark colors.

When he redirected his attention to her, Beth couldn’t suppress the shivers that assaulted her body. All that poor contained anger and frustration were there, hitting her in waves. She could feel it.

It fed her own feelings towards him. All that pent-up frustration and hurt that she never let it out for fear of losing herself or her damn mind for good.

Beth straightened up, still holding her bleeding arm, raised her chin and stared right back at him.

 

“Go ahead. I know what you’re gonna say.”

 

Rio didn’t say anything, just turned around to close the door and turned back to look at her. He didn’t come closer, tough, but stood with hands in his pocket.

His voice sounded rough and low to her ears. His eyes narrowed.

 

“Oh, you a mind reader now? Tell me, what your pretty head thinks I’m gonna say, darling?”

 

“That I should have gone home. That I never listen and I deserve the bullet I got in my arm for being such a stupid bitch. Am I right, _darling_? ”

 

Hell, if she is going to die tonight, so be it. It was time for her to bring the old Beth back. No more hiding her away. Maybe if she could finally leave the past behind, she could also bring him back and explore this thing between them.

Because only that infuriating man could make her feel things way too strong for her liking. He is like a catalyst to her emotions, and she has no control over them when they are together.

Watching his dark brown eyes flashing with an emotion she can’t name, Beth is sure that she has the same effect on him.

He starts to walk towards her, slowly but sure of his next move.

 

“Well, I wonder why the hell you keep doin’ this, then, if you think you’re so clever. Why did you stay? Why do you keep actin' like you don’ give a damn? Why can’t you follow my damn orders, uh? You keep pushin’ me and challenging me, so tell me what you want, Elizabeth? WHAT?”

 

She doesn’t know. She really doesn’t know what to say or how to say it. He is right in front of her now.

He slams his hands on the table, placing them right beside her hips, caging her in.

She closes her eyes and drops her head down, but he holds her chin and makes her look at him again.

His eyes locked on hers.

 

“I’m _waitin’_.”

 

It’s now or never. The pain makes her head hurt as well, she can feel her own blood stop running down her arm, but it’s not as intense as it was a moment before, so the bullet probably grazed at her arm.

He is so close she can feel his warm breath on her face, and the woodsy scent coming from his clothes makes her _want_.

 

“Because you still think of me as a weak, stupid bitch and maybe I’m sometimes. Hell, I’m still here, but I chose to be here and you can’t ask me to leave because that is MY decision. Mine. Yet you keep treating me as if no matter what I do, I’ll never pay my debt to you because you’re so above someone like me, Rio. Fuck you. I’m not.”

 

He laughs, an ugly, forced thing that reminds her of that horrible night.

 

“So, this is about you thinking that I don’ give a damn? That I’m like your shitty car man? I know exactly who you are and what you’re capable of, sweetheart. Fuck, you’re still here after all these months, after what you did to me, jus’ like you said. But if you think I’ll let you get under my skin again, you’re wrong. I don’ make the same mistake again, luv.”

 

Beth stares at him then, wide-eyed, rosy lips parted in surprise over his words.

He had just admitted that she got under his skin.

That was all the confirmation she needed.

When he speaks again, it’s like the old times, his voice smooth and deep, making her insides melt again.

 

“And don’ ever think I don’t have a say about when you leave. I’m tryin’ to keep not only my business safe here but the people who work for me as well. You could have died tonight. I could have lost you, and you must think death is an old friend of mine, but it isn’t. It’ll never be. If I ever decide to give you an out again, you’ll take it. Do you hear me?”

 

His fingers are still on her chin, his thumb and forefinger holding it tight while his other hand goes to her neck, burying itself on the soft trends of her hair.

She licks her dry lips, trying to think of an answer that will please him for the time being, hand still holding her injured arm.

It's his damn fault that it happens.

Something suddenly shifts at that moment, hot and breathtaking as a tangible thing, untamed and hungry.

His eyes' drop from hers to her lips, his hot gaze following the path she makes with the tip of her tongue as she leans her head back against his hold on her hair, stretching her neck and dropping her eyelids, looking at him through her long eyelashes.

Her body feels heavy and pliant, and adrenaline gives place to desire in her veins. The air between them feels charged with this weird but strong attraction they’ve been fighting since the first time they met.

The pain is gone for the moment and the way he whispers her name makes pleasure run through her whole body, from the tips of his fingers touching her chin, down to her lower belly.

 

“Elizabeth, what I jus’ told you?”

 

His thumb touches her lower lip, caressing it with reverence, then moving to her upper one, as if he’s committing their texture, their contour to his memory.

His eyes are back to hers, a silent warning in them.

Beth’s heart thunders in her chest. She is on the verge of a precipice and ready to jump. There is no other way.

She had made her choice weeks ago.

 

“It doesn’t matter. It was inevitable from the beginning. I never did what you asked of me, Rio. What makes you think I’ll do it now? So, do what we both want.” – She keeps her voice soft, with the sweet tone she uses with her kids. But as she gives him her own warning, her voice hardens.

“Or you can just go to hell.”

 

The seconds pass. Neither of them breaks eye contact for a few minutes.

Rio looks at her carefully, head tilting slightly, considering. Then, he moves.

She feels his hand tighten on her neck and she moans, closing her eyes as the pain hits her again. But this one is a good one. It makes her feel alive for the first time in months.

His body touches hers, his chest to hers and Beth can feel his heartbeat against her own.

 

Fast and wide.

 

Her eyes shut, as his face comes closer to hers.

She feels the tip of his nose followed by the wet touch of his tongue on the base of her neck, going all the way up, and it makes her gasp, his lips brushing her ear as he speaks, voice low and husky:

 

“You _are_ evil.”

 

And then he is kissing her.

His bite on her lower lip stings, at first, but he sucks softly onto it right after. She wraps her legs around his waist and her good arm is around his neck in the blink of an eye.

The need to be closer to that man, to feel his skin on hers is maddening.

Then his skilled tongue is finally touching hers, and his taste explodes on her taste buds, sweet and warm and, good lord, she wants more.

His kisses are intense and demanding, not letting her have any control over it. His lips hard under hers, his tongue hot and slick inside her mouth, claiming everything she has to give and still asking for more. She moans again as he slows their kiss down and she takes the chance to nibble his fuller lower lip between her teeth.

His groan sounds loud in the small room. She loves it. It makes her feel sensual and powerful again after so many years doubting herself as a woman. Her self-esteem so low she wondered if she’d get it back again.

When she sucks on it, he hisses and wraps one of his arms around her waist, holding her even closer to him.

That is when she feels how hard he is for her already and the moan that escapes her mouth is uncontrollable.

However, Rio is gentling their kisses and putting some distance between their bodies. She tries to kiss him again but the hold he has on her hair is strong and he doesn’t let her come any closer.

He is breathing hard, dark pupils blown-wide, as his forehead touches hers. His lips are swollen red and wet, his honeyed skin flushed and warm under hers. Beth wonders how she must look to him.

 

“Not here and not now, Elizabeth. We do need to work some things out first, ok? You’re hurt and tired. I have to take care of your wound and take you back home. Then I’ll deal with the fucker responsible for this shit.”

 

She thinks about trying to make him change his mind, but he is right. She feels wonderful after finally knowing what it’s like to be kissed and touched by him, but she is dirty, exhausted and has blood on her clothes and hands.

Not exactly how she wants her first time with Rio to be.

 

“Ok. You’re right. Take me home, please.”

 

he’s still holding her hair and his low chuckles reach her ears, forcing her to open her heavy eyelids and find out why he was practically laughing at her face.

He kisses her one last time, a quick, closed lip thing that leaves her wanting more.

 

“Such a good girl. Asking so nicely. Very well done, Elizabeth.”

 

She couldn’t stop the violent blush on her face and neck even if she tried. He is laughing fully at her now, and she doesn't’ even care because she is drunk on the sensations only him makes her feel.

Damn, that man was the evil one there, not her.

He’s very careful when he takes care of her wound, helping her take her jacket off, leaving her with a dark blue sleeveless shirt. Neither of them speaks, the silence isn’t uncomfortable, though. It feels familiar, and it helps her nerves to calm down.

His light touches take care of the wound pretty fast. He bandages it and tells her she was lucky that it was just a graze, but without any heat behind his words.

 

\-----------------------

 

They walk to his car together, his arm around her waist, and his men follow them on their own vehicles to her house.

He waits for her to open the door to talk again.

 

“Get some sleep. No work for you for two days and one of my boys will keep watching your house while you’re resting. I’ll be out of town for the week to deal with what happened. Be careful while I’m away ok?”

 

He doesn’t touch her again, just watches her with arms crossed and a weary look on his eyes.

She nods her agreement even if she is already missing him. To be fair, though, she’d agree to anything he asked of her at the moment. Beth was longing for a bath and a bed after one hell of a day.

 

“Alright. Just be careful wherever you’re going. Don’t die.”

 

This makes him smile, while he pushes her inside the house, holds the door open for her and says:

 

“Forget it, sweetheart. You’re not ready to rule my kingdom yet. But if you behave while I’m away, maybe I’ll teach you the basics.”

 

Beth doesn’t get a chance to make him swallow his words because, of course, he closes the door on her face, not waiting for an answer.

 

_Whatever. I’ll get want I want, Rio. You’ll see._

 

Darkness was her new friend after all. She had learned how to deal with it.

 

Thanks to him.


	4. East of Eden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No summary because this chapter is a big ass monster. I thought about breaking it into two parts and post the next one tomorrow, but my life is about to become a bit crazier, and I don't know if I'll have time tomorrow morning.  
> ATTENTION: It's my first time writing SMUT scenes and maybe that is why I took a bit longer to write this chapter but here it is. I hope it's not too bad.  
> Beth and Rio FINALLY DO IT. Thank God for fanfictions bc, man, I do need to see these two on a bed, doing filthy things to each other.  
> Anyway. This is the last chapter. REALLY. I hope you'll like it! Thank you for all the kudos, comments, and bookmarks. LOVE U GUYS!

 

 

 

There was nothing like time to heal all things.  
  
It had healed her pride, her confidence and she was feeling relatively good about herself, nowadays.  
  
She’s walking through light and darkness, finally finding a place in _his_  world and at peace in hers.  
It wasn't the easiest thing to accomplish if you asked her.  She’s still a mom, but she’s also her own person.  
  
Money comes and goes without her worrying about it.  She’d won Rio’s trust back but their dynamic didn’t change much.  
  
He’s still the boss, obviously, but now he talks to her about some of his associates, and about how he deals with any interference in his “game”, or what it takes to keep his business a successful one. Sometimes it’s like they’re longtime friends, and she’d be lying if it didn’t feel strange to her .

  
  
_“It’ s about looking for different opportunities and bein' unafraid of takin’ risks, darlin’.  You need to be smart and keep your cards close to your chest, coz there is always someone out there tryin’ to bring you down. ” _

  
  
Beth noticed not long ago that he usually watches her while she works alongside the girls, from the window of his office on the first floor.  
  
Ruby was the one who told her about it, actually.  Beth denied at first because certainly, that man had more important things to do than watching her through his window like a fool.

  
  
_“Whatever.  I know that look, girl.  If you don’t wanna believe it, it’s your problem.  But we both know he is always watching you. ” _

  
She’d rolled her eyes at Ruby when she told her that.    
  
Ruby and Annie didn’t know about the kiss.  It was probably for the best.  It was something really private and only hers to remember, in the loneliness of her bed.    
  
Besides, telling the girls about the kiss would force her to also acknowledge her growing feelings for Rio and she wasn’t ready for that.    
  
Beth wasn’t sure she would ever be.  
  
\- \---------   
  
  
There were no more kisses after that one.  
  
Sometimes he visits her when the kids are not home.  He comes late at night, sits on her sofa and asks questions about her kids, or about her life in general, really.  
  
She frowned at him the first time he asked her about it.

 

  
  
_“Why?  Why do you wanna know? ” _  
  
_“I really don’ want to.  Just need a distraction.  So, distract me, sweetheart. _”

  
  
He was tired and annoyed at something, the first time he came to her house after the kiss. But usually, he looks relaxed and really interested in hearing her talking about her common and boring life outside his world.  
  
It’s odd but also nice to sit there in the dark with him, drinking bourbon or whiskey, depending on their mood.  
  
When he leaves, he stands up, tells her to not worry, he can walk himself out.  Before leaving, he stares at her face, as if he is trying finding something there.  Beth never knows what, exactly.  She doesn’t ask about that.  
  
He stands right there in front of her, his eyes not betraying anything he might be feeling at the moment.  That man was frustratingly good at hiding his emotions and thoughts.  Beth wonders if she could ask him to teach her.  
  
  
His voice drops low and husky.  A hint of a smile on his lips. 

  
  
_“ Have sweet dreams, mama.” _

 

Sometimes, she wished he’d come back and kissed her again.   
  
It’s absurd, yeah.  
  
It was also inevitable they would cross that final line.  


 

They did.  
  
\- \----------------

  
  
He was right after all that time.  
  
She ruined him.  That woman broke every wall he’d built around himself.

  
  
Feelings were complicated.  They made you lose your focus, your control, and peace of mind.  They were useless in his line of work.  He lived for his business and the people who depend on him.  
  
The problem was he was also just a man, blood and flesh.  Even when he tried balancing things inside him, it got tiresome after a while. He was only human after all.  
  
Now, you may think that love was an unknown concept to him but that was not the truth. He loved his mother. He cared for the loyal ones to him and looked out for them in return.  


Romantic love, on the other hand, is something that he finds hard to believe after everything he’d seen in his life. It was like believing in fuckin’ unicorns if you asked. When you dealt with all kinds of fucked up shit in this world, on a daily basis, things like fallin’ in love sounded more like something only a fool would do.

  
He thought he had loved someone once, but he’d been young and stupid, barely out of his teenage years and the bitch had taken all his money with her after a round of sex and false words whispered in his ears.    
  
  
In the end, sex was the only thing he’d learned to believe in.  
  
Sexual attraction. 

 

Something easy that went away fast enough and didn’t bring you any headaches.  
  
Maybe love was just for the lucky ones who lived in a better world than the one he was living in.  
  
That is it, until Elizabeth Boland came to his life, demanding respect and attention like she was a fuckin’ queen, not backin’ down from him even when she was afraid. He wondered if maybe some things could be possible, really.

  
  
She was an anomaly in his world, soft, caring.  Mother of four children, who had piano classes as a kid.  Someone who had been bold enough to talk back at him while his guy pointed a gun at her head.  
  
So fuckin’ strong and yet so vulnerable.  
  
He tried keeping his attraction at bay every time they were together in a room.  It was just business in the beginning, and he didn’t want to be anything else.  
  
Rio was not an idiot.  He could see that she felt something too.    
  
When he finally kissed her that night after those assholes tried to rob his money, he knew he was fucked.  By the time he had her body and lips against his, every moan and sigh she let escape while he was touchin’ and tastin’ her, almost made him lose his mind.  
  
The tight control he’d kept over himself left his body as fast as air escaping a balloon.  It was then he thought:    
  
_“fuck this shit.  It’s time to give up. ”_  
  
There was no reason to keep  dancin’ around each other.  It was gradually drivin’ him crazy and her too.  He needed to take her out of his system and if even after that, she was still there, he’d learn to live with it.  No need to make that situation worse than it was, already.    


Rio didn’t have the patience for drama.  
  
If only his little firecracker was a bit more daring and finally trusted him enough to give in to that thing between them.  
  
There was something holding her back, and he wouldn’t do anything until Beth finally made up her mind.  He wasn’t the kind of man who tried to change a woman’s mind about sex with sweet talk and empty words.  Women went to his bed because they wanted to be there.  Period.  
  
Yeah, he had his pride and, also, he was not a complete bastard.    


The ball was in her court.  
  
\- \----------------------

  
In the end, it was on one of those nights when he came for a night visit, that they did it.

  
  
The day had been terrible.  Beth and Annie went to Canada again to deliver a package to one of Rio’s associates that time.  Something completely different from what they usually did, since it was always the other way around.  
  
A corrupted agent helped them cross the border again but when they tried to deliver the box full of fake money, the guy wasn’t there.  They tried calling and look for someone on the small house Rio told them his associate would be, but no one ever came out to greet them and the man didn’t pick up his phone.  
  
They came back home with the help of the same agent but Beth was fuming.  What a damn waste of time!  And Rio would be furious with her because they didn’t do the job right.  
  
When they arrived at the warehouse Rio was not there and Cisco informed her and Annie that the man had called Rio to cancel the deal between them.    


Oh.

  
  
“Thank God, sis.  We won’t die today. ”

  
Yeah, they wouldn’t.  What would he do to the man, though?

 

\---

 

  
  
That question kept running around her head until she came home.  
  
Her muscles were tense and her shoulders were hurting.  She needed a bath.  
  
After a good fifteen minutes under the hot water of her shower, Beth felt like a living person again.  Putting on a soft silky midnight blue set of a bra and panties and her favorite robe over it, she decided to go to her bed and watch some silly program on TV.  
  
Summer was coming and Beth enjoyed sleeping with her windows open, the soft breeze cooling her warm skin down and the smell of recently cut grass teasing her nose.    
  
Rio wouldn’t go to her house that night.  She was sure of it.  He’d have to deal with the man, and it’d take some of his time probably.  
  
The sound of her room’s door opening almost made her heart stop. 

  
  
“Rio! Oh my God, are you trying to kill me? I thought you wouldn’t come today!”

  
  
He was wearing his hoodie again over a white t-shirt.  His face wasn’t hurt só maybe things weren’t só bad as she thought they’d be?  
  
He stood there, a smirk forming slowly, while probably undressing her with his eyes as she changed her position on the bed, sitting on it.  
  
She ran a hand through her messy curls, trying to fix it.  A brief look at her cleavage assured her that her bra was covered.  
  
When she looked back at him, his dark eyes were fixed on her. Beth watched as he licked his lips.

  
  
“I wouldn’t do that do you, luv. It’d be a shame. Did you miss me?”

  
  
She gulped, feeling suddenly on edge. 

  
  
“I thought you wouldn’t come tonight.  Cisco said you had to deal with your Canadian associate. ”  


Her voice sounded normal, at least.  
  
He didn’t move from his place, leaning against her currently closed door.    
  
  
“I did.  He won’t do that again, trust me.  The idiot freaked out because he heard that someone had tipped him off to the police.  It was a lie.  Sorry for your lost time, sweetheart.  Do you wanna drink somethin’ downstairs?  Or, we could stay here, I ain’t complaining, I quite like the view. ”  
  
  
Beth looked at him. The lights were off but her TV was on and it made some weird shadows dance on his face. The reflex of the tv’s light shining on his dark eyes, which were focused on her. He kept his hands in his pockets, waiting for her answer.

His tone sounded calm and even on her ears. It made her want to go to him and do what she has been wanting to do since their first and only kiss.  
  
But she still didn’t know if he’d welcome her if he would have her just once and then another younger woman would come and get his attention.  Beth knew she had no right over him, and it was not that she wanted to marry the man, for God’s sake!  However, Beth was afraid of disappointing him in _that_  department.  
  
Beth remembers when she and Dean had good, sometimes wonderful sex.  There was a time when she enjoyed buying sexy and delicate lingerie.  Dean would tear them away from her body, kissing her senseless, marking her white skin with his teeth.  Beth would moan, biting on her pillow to keep the sounds within their room.  
  
Beth knew that Rio wanted her.  Oh, Ruby was right, she saw it every time they were together in a room.  
  
Nevertheless, it was one thing to know it and another to do something about it.  
  
Men looked at her body and they desired her, because frankly, she was not self-conscious about her body anymore, not if a man like Rio looked at her like that, so she knew she was a beautiful woman.  The stretch marks on her belly were few, even after four kids, and she liked to take care of herself.  
  
However,  she knew she wasn’t like those girls who worked out daily and were way closer to his age.  
  
Shit, she was a mess, wasn’t she?  
  
She stood up then, and crossed her arms, staring at him with what she hoped was an equally placid expression on her face.

  
  
“I’m glad you didn’t have bigger problems with him.  But I think you should go home. You must be tired… After going to Canada yourself to take care of it. We both had a bad day. I need to sleep and you’ll have a busy day tomorrow.”

  
  
Now, he was the one taking his hands out of his pockets and crossing his arms.  A muscle in his jaw twitched, and his expression closed up.  
  
His voice was barely a whisper, but it sounded loud in the darkened room.

  
  
  
“Be honest with me.  What are you really afraid of?”

  
  
Beth bit her lip,  her gaze dropping to the floor.  She was insecure for the first time in months. 

Honestly, she wanted to tell him but the whole thing was so embarrassing, she didn’t know how.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Beth decided to confront him, since it seemed that was what he wanted for the night. Her eyes flashed with determination, as she set her own jaw.

  
  
“Nothing.  I just don’t think we should do this right now.  You don’t want to do this.  You really don’t wanna know, do you?  I don’t even know why you’re wasting your time with me.  You kissed me already.  You didn’t do it again.  You come to my house and sit and talk like we’re old friends but we are not.  So, let’s just stop, Rio.”

  
  
Silence fell hard on the room.  They kept staring at each other for a few minutes.    
  
Her heart felt like it was trying to break free from her chest and run far away from her.  Her breath coming fast and uneven.  
  
Then, Rio finally moved as he started to walk towards her, arms still crossed over his chest.  His voice sounding smoky and gentle in her bedroom.  
  
Irresistible.

  
  
“Don’ do that, Elizabeth.”

  
  
She blinked, trying to figure out what he meant, as she took a step back.  Her confident posture crumbling slowly as she watched him come closer.

  
  
“Don’t do what? What am I doing?”

  
  
He tilted his head to the side, arms no longer crossed, as he lifted one of his hands and followed the line of her jaw with the back of his forefinger.  Her back hit the wall.  
  
No more place for her to run.

  
  
“Fightin' this thing between you and me.  It’s a lost battle, and we both know it.  Stop hidin’ behind your sharp words.  Tell me the truth.  I won’t do anything that you don’t wanna do it.  You say the word and I’m out.  I jus’ wanna know why.”

  
  
Well, that was her defeated.  He was looking at her with curiosity, his woodsy scent so strong around her that Beth was finding hard to find the right words.  She closed her eyes as she started to tell him her reasons.  
  
Beth didn’t  look at him, feeling bare and vulnerable under his scrutiny.  
  
  
“I’m a mother of four children.  It’s not that I think I’m unattractive, but I’m older than you and I work for you on top of that.  I’m not gonna lie, I don’t wanna this to be just one fuck and then you’ll leave this house and treat me like any other woman who works on that warehouse. A nobody.”

  
  
There it was.  Her truth out in the open.  It feels great, like taking a heavy weight being lifted out of her shoulders.    
  
If Rio didn’t like it, then he could finally go and find someone else.  It would hurt, but it would be for the best.  No more illusions.  
  
It was the hot touch of his hands on her pulses that made her open her eyes and look at him.  
  
Rio lifted her arms until they were over her head.  He held them up there with one hand while pressing his whole body to hers.  
  
  
His piercing gaze made her stomach clench.  She blushed under his hooded eyes. While trying to escape them, her eyes dropped to his slightly parted lips and she felt her nipples tightening in response to what she saw there.

  
  
Lust, genuine and simple.  
  
Her body was answering to his so quickly that she was losing her head over this insane chemistry between them. 

She was _burning_  with it.

  
  
“You couldn’t be more wrong ‘bout yourself, sweetheart, and ‘bout me.  I ain’t no boy.  I’m a man who knows exactly what he wants and how he wants it.”

  
  
His other hand held her by the throat. The warm brand of it making her feel owned, conquered.

  
  
_Dear God._

  
  
  
“And I  want  _you_.”

\---------------------------------------

  
  
He watched as her pupils dilated, her blue eyes turning almost black.    
  
Yeah, she wanted him and was just afraid after all.  Her fears were reasonable to him, but that was not who he was at all.  Elizabeth didn’t know him that well and in his defense, he wanted to keep it that way until he had enough proof of her loyalty to him.  
  
For as long as that thing between them lasted.

  
He couldn’t remember a time when he felt such a strong desire for a woman before and she had no idea of it.  
  
That was a good thing, though, because if that woman ever finds out how much power she has over him, he’ll be over.  
  
His only chance is to have the same power over her.  It was time to be sure of what she really wanted.  
  
So, he moved his hand from her throat to her jaw, tilting her head up. She didn’t take her eyes off his, and he could see how she needed him closer still. His lips grazed hers softly when he came closer and asked her:

  
  
“Tell me, what do _you_  want?”

  
  
Her soft lips opened under his, but he retreated, keeping a small distance between them.  
It didn’t take long to have his answer.  She whispered it, like a sordid little secret just for them to hear.

  
  
_“You.”_

  
  
And fuck him, there was no way he could  stop the stupid smile on his face.  That woman would be his after months of fighting against that maddening desire for her.

  
  
“Good girl.”  
  
\- \-----------------------------------   
  
He wasn’t gentle.

  
  
He kept his hold on her jaw while giving her closed mouth kisses.  One, two, three times, moving away every time she tried to follow him, teasing, the pressure of his lips hard on hers.  
  
When she moaned her discontentment, he kissed her again and this time, the touch of his tongue on her lower lip made her gasp and he took advantage of it to finally explore her mouth.    
  
Their tongues brushed, his taste invading her mouth, minty and fresh and Beth surrendered to him, relaxing her body and trying to press it further on his.  
  
Their kisses were slow and deep, his tight hold on her jaw not letting her take control of it.  His lips were moving firmly over hers, warm and demanding, his tongue rough against hers.  
  
When she sucked it on her mouth, his deep groan made her whole body shiver.  Beth tried to grind her hips against his, needing any kind of friction she could get or she’d go crazy.  He allowed her then, making her feel how hard he was for her.  
  
His erection was rubbing right against her clit and the wave of pleasure was making her feel terribly empty, her sex pulsing steadily now.  She could feel how wet she was already, their kisses now sloppy and heady.  
  
Beth moaned loudly when he took his mouth away from hers and started to brush his damp lips over the line of her jaw, and lower, kissing and biting on her neck. His hand was now moving down to hold on the back of one of her knees, making her wrap one of her legs around his waist, so she could grind harder against him.

 

Shit, she’d cum sooner than she wished if they kept doing that. 

  
  
Then he sucked a mean hickey on her collarbone and, _shit,_  if the whine she let out sounded high even for her.  
  
With the sound, Rio freed her hands, and she finally could touch him, burying her hands on his shoulders, nails biting on his skin through his clothes.  
  
He did quick work of her robe, throwing it on the floor, his warm, long fingers grabbing her by the waist, while he sucked little hickeys on the top of her breasts, taking her bra off.  He encouraged her to wrap her legs around his waist, her head falling back on the wall,  as she pressed his head to one of her breasts when he closed his lips over a nipple.  
  
She would have marks on her waist tomorrow, from how strongly he was holding her there.  It made her shiver and just want more.  Beth wanted his marks all over her body, to hell with the future.  
  
The touch of his tongue on her nipple was the only thing important there, encircling it slowly and then, his sharp teeth biting it, making her scream.  
  
She felt him moving, and when she opened her eyes she saw that he was taking her to the bed. He lowered her to the mattress carefully, like she would break if he did any different.  
  
  
Rio stopped, looking at her.  
  
Beth never felt so cherished before.  He was taking some trends of her hair off her face, while she stayed there, legs opened for him, arms resting beside her head, trusting him  entirely with her body.  
  
His eyes studied her closely.  Her breath fast and uneven,  her cleavage adorned with hickeys.  He touched her lower lip with his thumb, she sucked on it, eyes on his as he looked like he wanted to ravish her.  
  
He probably did.

  
  
“Fuck.  You don’ play fair, do you, sweetheart?”

  
  
“No. I want you, and I think we both waited for far too long. Don’t you think?”

  
  
His smile was warm and charming as he got up and started to take his clothes off.  First the hoodie, then his shirt.  His jeans and shoes were next.  
  
Elizabeth watched with interest as every inch of honeyed skin was revealed to her.  Aside from the eagle on his neck, there was a cross on the right side of his chest and some words written on his left side.  The ripped muscles were mouth-watering, and her hand itched to touch them.  
  
It didn’t take long for him to join her on the bed.  He laid down right beside her, resting his head on his hand as he observed her, drinking her in.  He didn’t take his black briefs off, and she still had her panties on.  
  
He started caressing her face with his other hand, then traced her neck with his fingertips.  Next were her collarbones, as he touched the purplish mark of his hickey there.  His long fingers moved to her nipples, pinching them, thumb rubbing back and forth, making them harder and pinkish.    
  
  
Then, his hand moved down her belly after playing with her breasts, his forefinger tracing her belly button and finally reaching her panties.  
  
All the while he kept his eyes on hers, watching her every reaction to his caresses.  It was the most intense experience she had so far with a man in her bed and he wasn’t even inside her yet.  
She couldn’t take her eyes off his, the magnetic effect of his mysterious eyes on her keeping her captive, shivers running down and up her spine.  
  
When he removed his hand from her, she whined.  A small, low thing that Rio answered with an evil little smirk.  He was right there by her side, his warmth making her want to jump on him and take control of that night.  
  
His fingers were back on her lips, and he dragged her lower lip away from her teeth. She didn’t even notice she was biting on it to stifle her moans.

  
“Elizabeth, lemme hear you. But first, suck my fingers. C’mon, you'll like it.”

 

  
She narrowed her eyes at him but did as he said.  She just wanted to have a goddamn orgasm, damn it.    
  
Beth sucked on them nice and slow, and Rio kept his poker face on the whole time, but she could see how excited he was by the huge tent on his black briefs, the spot around the head of his cock even darker and wet.  
  
  
His middle and forefinger, wet from her tongue, went down her body again, going under her panties and reaching her clit.    
  
She moaned low and long.  
  
It felt electrical current running down from her belly to her clit, making inner muscles clench, as he worked on the tight bud, in small circles.  When he entered her and started to pump his fingers, rubbing on a place there that made her moan louder with each touch, Beth was ready to lose her goddamn mind forever.  
  
  
He came closer to her until she could feel his breath on her face, her nipples brushing against his chest.  
  
His pumped his fingers faster.

  
  
“That is it, sweetheart.  Let it go.  I know you need this.  Let me feel you coming on my hand.”

  
  
Oh hell, no.  She wanted to come with him inside her.  She tried to tell him that because her toes were curling on her feet and the muscles on her legs were tight and trembling, the signs of an impending orgasm.

  
“P-Please, please, Rio… I need… I...”

  
  
“Shh, shh, I know.”

  
  
Suddenly he left her side, opened her legs up again and got between them as he took her clit to his lips and sucked hard on it.  
  
She couldn’t hold her scream back, as it left her lips and resonated loud around the room.  Her hands held the sheets in tight fists, her back arched, as wave after wave of intense pleasure assaulted her body.  
  
After a few minutes that felt more like hours, she tried to come back to earth from the most perfect orgasm of her life.  Her heart was hammering on her chest, and it was hard to breathe.  


_Holy shit._  
  
  
  
Beth  felt him coming up again, now naked just like she was.  He took her panties off so fast she didn’t even notice.  Actually, the world could have ended, and she wouldn’t even care at the moment.  
  
He was hugging her, making her rest her head on his chest, caressing her back with light touches, her skin hot and damp with sweat, and his cock hard and hot between their bodies.    
  
Beth felt sleepy and happy but not satisfied yet.  
  
It took her by surprise.  The need to feel that man inside her was strong yet and she didn’t wanna think about that.  It was scary.  After years without feeling what it was like to share your body with someone else, to give and get pleasure in equal measure, almost made her angry with Dean again for being selfish and deny her even that, when all she did was trying to keep their marriage alive.  
  
Well, it was all in the past now, and it was best to enjoy the present.  Her hands started to caress him, mapping every curve and dip in his muscles, lips brushing on the tattoo on his chest.  She wanted to ask about them, but she didn’t know if they were there yet.  
  
His voice sounded amused when he talked to her again.

  
“ I can wait while you recover, darlin’. Take your time.”

  
  
“It’s ok.  I still want you.  Thank you, by the way.  It was the best orgasm I’ve had in years.”

  
  
This didn’t make him laugh as she expected.  He got a fistful of her hair and made her look up at him while she was mapping his other tattoo on his left with her lips, her body now on top on his.

  
  
“That stupid car man wasn’t a real man, then.  Real men always make their women come first and multiple times before they can have their award, baby.  Don’t forget this. ”  
  
  
  
Well, that brought a smile to her lips.  
  
  
  
She nodded at him and started to move down his body, his cock finally on her hands and she moved her hand up and down, slowly at first, feeling the hardness of it, the soft skin around it, the tick vein throbbing with every twist and move of her wrist.  Looking up at him, Beth saw Rio with his head tipped back, lips parted, and his chest moving fast, breath labored and loud.  
  
When she took him in her mouth, it was his time to moan loudly.  She sucked on the dripping head while her other hand played with his nipples then his balls.  His moans turned to groans and when she tried to take more of him in her mouth, he touched her head and told her to just move, he wanted to be inside her.

  
  
“Did you bring protection?”

  
  
“Yeah, on the pocket of my hoodie.”

  
  
She moved fast, opening the damn thing and putting it on him with a practice she thought it was lost to her.

  
  
“Were you so sure of my answer, darling?”

  
  
She couldn’t help but tease him a little bit, while moving on top of him again, guiding him inside her.  But not before she got her answer.  
  
He grabbed her by the hips and looked at her with fire in his eyes.

  
  
“I’m a man who always gets what he wants, sweetheart. Now move.”

  
  
And she did as he told her without question, for the first time that day.

Slowly at first, teasing him as she moved her hips in circles, then up and down again, her hands on his chest, their eyes fixed on each other. His hands grabbed her breasts, sharp nails drawing red lines on the white skin, feeling their weight on his hands, playing with her nipples with his thumbs. She threw her head back, moving her hips faster and feeling him fastening his movements as well.  
  
Shit, it was good to feel desired and sexy again.  To have a man under her who wanted to her as much as she wanted him.  
  
Beth could hear the strain in his voice when he talked again, the pressure building between them, strong and wild.

  
  
“Fuck.  Fuck you’re killin’ me.”

  
  
She felt his rhythm start to falter, and in a quick move, he had her under him.  
  
Wrapping her legs tight around his waist without missing a bit, Beth clawed at his shoulders with her long nails, as her second orgasm approached.

  
  
“C’mon on then, give it to me.”

  
  
He dropped his head on the curve of her neck, biting her there. She clenched on his cock again, making him grunt.

  
  
“You’re a witch, Elizabeth, but you forget I know how to play this game,  _honey_.”

  
  
He slowed his thrusts down then, taking a hold of her hands and bring them up over her head, dropping the weight of his upper body over hers. The feel of his whole body pressed to hers making her swear low and the burning desire to come now urgent.

  
  
“Rio, please.  Jus’  _please_.”

  
  
She was begging, yeah, but didn’t care one bit.  She saw he was enjoying it too much, his hooded eyes didn’t hide how much fun he was having with that display of power he was showing her.  
  
He kissed her again, hungry and deep, then whispered against her lips:

  
  
“You can come now, sweetheart.”

  
  
With three hard and long thrusts, he gave her another amazing, mind-blowing orgasm, the intense pressure in her lower belly finally getting released, her mind blank, muscles relaxing and her pussy pulsing steadily and strong, triggering Rio’s own orgasm, milking him dry as he groaned low in her ear.  
  
He rested his head between her breasts, breathing just as hard as she was.  They stood there, in silence, her body coming down from all those intense feelings, her head spinning, unable to move or even think.  
  
Rio moved first, standing up and going to the bathroom, probably to throw the condom out.  She didn’t trust her legs to work properly, so she just adjusted her position on the bed, laying more comfortably on her pillows, pulling the sheet up over her naked body.    
  
Now what?  What did you do after sleeping with a criminal?  A…  Friend?  Were they really friends? Hell, if she knew. Maybe friends with benefits.

  
  
_Jesus_ , she was a lost cause.

  
  
Beth didn’t have much time to freak out about it because he was coming back, and good lord, that man was too much.  Don’t ask her what she meant with it, her brain is not working, her body  was still vibrating with post-orgasm shivers.  
  
He walked with confidence, his hands holding a small towel around his neck, a few drops of water rolling down the tattoo on his neck and into his well-defined chest.  A smirk appeared on his lips as Rio fixed his eyes on her hands holding onto the sheet tight and looking at him as if she was ready for another round.  
  
Well, she was. She shouldn’t be but whatever.

  
  
“I’ve seen it all, darlin’.  A little bit late to hide under the sheets, don’ you think?”

  
  
“M’ not hiding.” She watched as he started to pick up his clothes from the floor, putting them on. Beth frowned. Was he leaving? “Do you have places to go?”

  
  
He stopped dressing up after putting his jeans on and looked at her, but his face didn’t show anything.  Rio sat down on the bed, right beside her, and touched her chin, tipping her head up, making her look right back at him.  
  
His eyes were unreadable, but his voice was soft and a bit hoarse.

  
  
“I have to go somewhere, yeah.  I never stop working, Mama.  But don’ worry, we’ll do that again and again, ‘til one of us gets tired of the other.  Don’ expect more. ” - He closed the distance between them to give a little peck on her lips.  She couldn’t move, trying to understand what exactly that man was saying.  
  
  
His next words startled her.

  
  
“I like you, Elizabeth.  Jus’ don’t push me, or I’ll push you right back. This thing between us can’t leave these walls, or it'll be game over for both of us and in more ways than one. Do you understand?” 

  
  
She nodded, letting him know that she understood even though those last words sounded more confusing than anything else.  
  
He stood up again, wore the rest of his clothes and went straight to the door.  She stopped him right before he opened it, though.

  
  
“Wait. What do you mean, in more ways the one? Is this a threat?” 

  
  
Anger was bubbling inside her, and she narrowed her eyes at him when he turned around to answer her. His was face impassive but she could see his own anger deep inside his dark eyes.

  
  
“I ain’t that kind of bastard.  I’m just bein’ honest.  I told you once. This shit is medieval, darlin’ and there is always someone out there wantin’ to be king.  They’re just waitin’ me to show any sign of weakness. That is just how things are. Sleep tight,  Elizabeth.”

  
  
He doesn’t wait for her answer, closing the door behind him quietly.  
  
She just sits there, hearing the echo of his footsteps.    
The noise coming from the TV only an annoying buzz in the back of her mind.

  
  
Elizabeth Boland, now Elizabeth Marks went from a suburban soccer mom to the weak spot of a dangerous gangster.

  
  
Staring at the ceiling, she just wondered why she wasn’t panicking and calling her sister and Ruby, so they would come to her house and slap some sense into her.  
  
Maybe she trusted him enough to do whatever he needed to do to keep her away from him.  He had done it once even if she had found a way to bring him back.  
  
He never lied to her or tried to shield her from his world too much.  It was like he wanted her to see the worst there, in the hope that she’d leave and go back to her normal life.    
  
Beth knew she didn’t see everything that it was there yet. However, when you make a choice, it’s done. You can’t go back. The price can be too high if you do that.

  
  
She’d made her peace with hers. 

  
  
Elizabeth chose Rio, and they were both together in this, whatever _this_ was.    
  
\-  \-----------------   
  
“You’re late.”

  
  
Cisco welcomed him at the warehouse as soon as he parked his car in front of it.  
  
He threw the keys to him and took his hoodie off, his skin feeling too hot still, after the amazing sex he had with her. It was time for him to work, sadly, so he stopped his thoughts about Elizabeth and how good it felt to be inside her.

  
  
“I know.  I had somethin’ to take care of first.”

  
  
He heard the heavy steps of his guy right behind him, as he opened the door to his office.

  
  
“Hmm. That is why you have nail marks on your neck?”

  
  
Rio raised a brow at Cisco but didn’t make any comments. 

His men knew he had a soft spot for Beth anyway and besides, he’d need them to keep an eye on her from now on.  
He may be a killer, but he had met her children and even if he was responsible for mothers losing their children from time to time, he would never be the one to take a mother away from her kids.

He has limits to what he does. That attraction he felt for Beth wasn't in his plans, but he'd be sure to end it if things take a turn for the worse.

 

There are prices he isn't willing to pay, at all.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Really guys, the title for this fic is from this awesome song from two feet.  
> You should listen to it ;)  
> Its very Rio and Beth.


End file.
